St. Anton am Arlberg. The “Cradle of Alpine skiing”
St. Anton is located in the Austrian state of Tirol, in the valley of the Rosanna River, in the westernmost tip of Austria near the border with Switzerland.
The ski resort is easily accessible by train or highway from the airports of Munich, Zürich, and Innsbruck.
The urban center is located at 1304 meters above sea level at the foot of the Valuga (2811 m), the highest mountain in the Arlberg massif.
St. Anton is undoubtedly one of those places that every lover of skiing and winter sports must visit at least once in their life. This Austrian town is considered the birthplace of modern skiing. At the beginning of the 20th century Johann "Hannes" Schneider developed a new ski learning technique based on the use of wedge turn -or snowplough turn- and stem christiania. The popularization of this technique would come with the creation of the ski school in 1924, the appearance of Hannes Schneider himself as the protagonist in "Der weiße Rausch" - one of the first ski films in history shot on the Arlberg in 1930/31 directed by Arnold Fanck and co-starring Leni Riefenstahl -, and the publication in 1931 of the book Die "Wunder des Schneeschuhs".
St. Anton was also the venue for the Alpine Ski World Championships in 2001, an event that marked the process of modernization of the ski resort and a series of improvements in the destination that make the experience for visitors significantly improved. The main street was pedestrianized and the train station was moved to the other side of the road on the left bank of the Rosanna River.
A process that has continued in recent years. The 2016-2017 season marked a turning point in Arlberg's history with the creation of the largest interconnected ski area in Austria and one of the five largest ski domains in the world: the Ski Arlberg.
305 kilometers of pistes and more than 200 ski itineraries offer infinite skiing possibilities to experience the legendary Arlberg in all its facets and immerse yourself in a unique winter paradise. From St. Anton, St. Christoph - a must-see is the legendary Hospiz Alm -, Stuben to Zürs and Lech to Schröcken and Warth.
Ski Arlberg has a modern network of 88 lifts, including the Galzigbahn, a funitel built by Doppelmayr and CWA located in a glass and steel building created by the architect Georg Driendl.If to the skiing tradition and the quality of the facilities we add an average annual snowfall of 7 meters of snow, we can easily understand why we are facing one of the mythical ski regions in the world.
If to the skiing tradition and the quality of the facilities we add an average annual snowfall of 7 meters of snow, we can easily understand why we are facing one of the mythical ski regions in the world.
But in St. Anton our day does not end when we leave the skis. The presence of an international audience where we can find people arriving from all corners of the world together with a varied offer of apres-ski, where Mooserwirt stands out as the "mother of all apres-ski bars in the Alps" and whose fame reaches world dimension, will allow us to enjoy much more than unforgettable ski days.
And if what we want is to relax and rest, nothing better than pay a visit to the Arlberg-Well.com, a Wellness Center and events, used as a press center during the 2001 World Championships, which has an indoor pool and another heated outdoor, saunas, steam baths, massage showers, two solariums, a fitness area and an area reserved for massages as well as a restaurant bar with terrace.
On the RUN of FAME, the longest ski circuit in the Alps, skiers can embark on a spectacular ski safari through the entire Ski Arlberg ski resort. The 85-km route across the Arlberg, Flexen and Hochtannberg mountain pass – with 18,000 meters of difference in altitude – leads from St. Anton/Rendl via Stuben, Zürs, Lech and Schröcken to Warth and back (it can be travelled in both directions). The ski route is dedicated to the ski pioneers, sports and movie stars who once swooshed down the snowy slopes on skis and left their tracks in the snow of the Arlberg.
